This material is the copyright of the original publisher. Unauthorised copying and distribution is prohibited. In Vitro Testing for the Diagnosis of Anticonvulsant Hypersensitivity Syndrome

Anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome (AHS) is a rare and potentially fatal reaction that develops in susceptible patients following exposure to certain drugs, including aromatic anticonvulsants. Because of its illdefined clinical picture and resemblance to other diseases, the diagnosis of AHS is often difficult and requires a safe and reliable diagnostic test. Other than systemic rechallenge, which is not always ethically permissible and has its own limitations, no reliable diagnostic test is available for this type of disorder. This systematic review attempts to evaluate the usefulness of the available in vitro tests in the diagnosis of AHS – namely, the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) and the lymphocyte toxicity assay (LTA) – and to examine the different